Anyone really turned off by the DVC "pitch"?

[Dean]

You're missing the point. The point was that the DVC guide was calling us stupid for not buying DVC then and there, which we were NEVER going to do. I don't care how awesome the product is (and I'm not sure DVC is all that great for our needs), nobody deserves to be treated like that.

They know the odds of you buying fall to a tiny fraction compared to buying on the spot. That's why they generally insist on both doing it together. No surprise they'd put pressure on you to buy there for a timeshare sales tour. And in spite of what some would like to believe, DVC is just another timeshare. As HM alluded to, this is lightweight.

 

[rosanab1031]

We are buying a product, not a Guide.

The Guide might be low key, might be young, might be older, could be a man, could be a woman, may be pushy, it really doesn't matter. You will probably never see or talk to them again unless you want to buy another contract.

The Guide doesn't set the price or process the contract, they don't set up your account or load your points, so it doesn't really matter if you get along with them.

Bill

I talk to my guide all the time! He likes to know what we have planned and gives us advice on things to do. I don't know if I would have bought in if it wasn't for him. But I'm a person who likes to ask a lot of questions And he was always happy to answer.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

They know the odds of you buying fall to a tiny fraction compared to buying on the spot. That's why they generally insist on both doing it together. No surprise they'd put pressure on you to buy there for a timeshare sales tour. t.

Well, then they should NOT market the tour as "absolutely no pressure."

 

[bighoo93]

Well, then they should NOT market the tour as "absolutely no pressure."

You're right about that, but I think that really is DVCs intention. Nevertheless, they can't ensure that every single salesperson will abide by this at all times. That's why it is important to report cases where pressure is applied. I suspect this kind of thing is relatively rare, but if it becomes more common it would indicate a problem with the organizational culture.

 

[deedisneydream97]

If I remember correctly, the "tour" and the "sales pitch" are two different elements. The tour for us was just that: a tour of the "fake" rooms. No pressure at all. It was our decision if we wanted to talk further with a sales person...the salesperson is the one that tries to explain the "points system", incentives (guess there aren't any for GFV) and finance options. I am curious as to how they marketed a "no pressure tour" to you. Did you stop at one of their kiosks at a resort or park? I am wondering what their "enticements" are this time around. During the selling of AKV, we received a couple of "super fast passes" for taking time out of our vacay to do the tour. We will be down there soon and am wondering if they are enticing people with just the free ice cream sundae. May stop there if we have a rainy morning or afternoon.

But again, anyone going to one of these "events" should expect some kind of sales pitch; however, being called stupid by ANY Disney employee should not be tolerated by management or visitors.

 

[disneybaker]

I'm 37 years old and have never been to a timeshare presentation nor do I plan to! I remember as a child my parents attending several which lasted hours netting them only cheap gifts! I've always figured anything that you must to be compensated through gifts and in some cases money to sit through could not be worth it- scams! Of course timeshares are not scams but their tactics often appear like!

My best friend is a DVC member and after she purchased direct and added on resale she introduced me to DVC! Now I own 14 contracts (13 resale-1 direct)!
Timeshares can seem complicated when you are first learning and the guides feel very strongly that once you are taught the system you should be ready to sign! My advice is for you to do your own research and contact them when you are ready to buy! In fact do this w/ every purchase no matter how big or small! A new purchase should make you feel good- if it doesn't walk away as you did!

How do you manage 14 contracts, how much are you paying in fees yearly, all same use year?

 

[disneynutz]

We had 25 contracts at one time, at 6 resorts, most are 50 pointers, a 240, and 200. We recently sold 8, working towards 1 UY instead of 2. We were paying over $10 grand per year in dues, but we would vacation around 30 to 40 days per year at WDW. Now we are scaling back a bit.

We use Caskbill's DVC Tracker software to manage our points.

Bill

 

[Dean]

Well, then they should NOT market the tour as "absolutely no pressure."

Have you ever been on a non DVC timeshare tour?

 

[MoreTravels]

... and he essentially called us stupid for not having already signed up, given how much money we spend on Disney vacations.

Essentially? Were you too sensitive? What exactly did he say? I am pretty sure he did not say, "you are stupid". If he did, why didn't you immediately ask for a supervisor and for his apology? With iPhone and YouTube these days, I find it hard to believe people would be so derogatory in a public space.

He may "imply" or "sarcastically leading you think" that you are stupid. If you are truly stupid, you will not get his meaning behind those indirect words. If you are not stupid, then his statement does not apply to you. You see the logical deduction?! Either way, simply walk away because he is not helping you

 

[wdwlover25]

We were fortunate to have a Doorway to Dreams where we made our first DVC purchase. So nice because no vacation time was wasted on the presentation/paperwork.

I own a non DVC timeshare and have attended many tours with most of them being high pressure... goes with the timeshare territory. DVC was totally and completely different. At least as it was presented via Doorway to Dreams.

We were assigned a very nice helpful guide; however, to me the DVC product sold itself. Guide wouldn't have mattered much. Because Doorway to Dreams was local we were able to routinely visit our guide and built up a wonderful rapport. Very sad when we found out she was no longer with the company. And then Doorway to Dreams closed and now two guides later... I have no relationship with our current guide.
Just added on VGF over the phone... A non event, no pressure... I wanted the add on. Could've purchased through any guide.

I'm honestly surprised DVC has to resort to high pressure sales. IMO I trust Disney to set the bar in customer service very high so if the OP felt they were treated rudely they did the right thing to report the person. I also trust Disney to distinguish between an isolated bad day or misinterpretation on customer side vs. a pattern of similar complaints.

 

[rock_doctor]

We did the tour of the VGF models and our guide tried the hard sell but it did not work since (thanks to DIS) i knew more about DVC then he did. He would make a statement and i would expand on it and each time he would say, "i did not know that"...

As Bill said, they are nothing more then salesman and they need to sell to make money. I would not let it put you off but if you want you certainly can call into DVC and let them know you were extremely unhappy with how you were treated. DVC is a good deal if you have the upfront cash. We were primarily Pop Century people but we use to stay for two weeks each year, which still cost nearly $3k... Now we stay at BLT for 28 to 29 days a year and our maintenance costs are less then $3k. So for us it made sense. Plus we did mostly resale for our points and i know for a fact that if i sell out right now i would actually make a little money in the process.

If i were you, i would reconsider DVC but pay attention to resales. You can get resales for all resorts except for VGF and if you give it a year or so you will see those there also...